The Concept of God in Different Religions

The concept of God in different religions has different characteristics. For example, in some religions the concept of God is the same as the concept of the ultimate reality, the source for everything else.

Others view God as the absolutely perfect being. Still others would claim that God is the only being that people should worship, so analyzing God would mean understanding the nature of worship.

The word “God” can be used as a name to refer to a specific being. Being God means being that matter. The word God can also be used as a title.

For example, consider the difference between the personal name Barack Obama and the title of the President of the United States. The name Barack Obama belongs to a specific individual and being Barack Obama means being that individual. Nobody can be elected to the position of being Barack Obama because there is no such position. If all you knew about this person was his name, you couldn’t make any conclusions about him, his personal qualities or his professional capabilities.

Referring to him by his name leaves all kinds of questions in the open about what he is about and what he is like. The term President of the United States can also refer to a specific individual, but it can also be used to describe all presidents of the country.

For example, the statement that the President of the United States also serves as the commander-in-chief would be true even at a time when the position of the president is vacant, meaning that there was no person at the time who was the President of the United States.

By contract with a specific name, being president is not about being a specific individual, but it is about fulfilling certain duties no matter who the individual is.